scholarly journals Factors Affecting Indonesian Students in Learning English Pronunciation

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Marcella Melly Kosasih
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Private University ◽  
Oral Fluency ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Pronunciation Instruction ◽  
Successful Communication ◽  
English Pronunciation ◽  
Learning English

Oral fluency is very important in communication. It involves different skills like grammar and vocabulary. Pronunciation, however, is very significant for successful communication. Many learners of the English language have major problems with English pronunciation even after years of learning the language. Certain factors affect the learners’ pronunciation learning and the present study aims to identify the factors that affect Indonesian students in learning pronunciation of English as a foreign language. Participants were 45 first-semester students who enrolled in a Pronunciation class in a private university in West Java, Indonesia. A mixed method was used to gather data. The researcher used a quantitative method by using a questionnaire to identify the factors and a qualitative method by using observation, records, and note-taking to identify the problems students have in learning pronunciation. Data were collected, categorized, and analyzed. From this study, it is identified that the factors influencing the students’ pronunciation accuracy were native language interference, phonological awareness, pronunciation instruction, corrective feedback, and the most important of all was the response students gave to achieve their goal. The researcher also suggests some strategies to help students overcome the problems concerning those factors. It is hoped that by knowing the factors affecting students in learning English pronunciation, the teachers can help students to have English pronunciation accuracy.

scholarly journals KEY FACTORS INFLUENCING LEARNERS’ ORAL FLUENCY IN ENGLISH SPEAKING CLASSES: A CASE AT A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY IN VIET NAM

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 93
Author(s):  
Dinh Thi Bich Ngoc ◽  
Tran Thi Dung
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Survey Questionnaire ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Oral Fluency ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Affective Factors ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
English Speaking

In the field of English language learning, speaking is regarded as one of the most important skills to be developed and enhanced continually as means of effective communication. In most English classes at universities, many students find it difficult to express themselves in spoken English. So this research aims to investigate prominent factors affecting fluency of second-year students in speaking skill. The study uses mixed research methods with two data collection instruments namely survey questionnaire and semi-structured interview. The participants joining the survey questionnaire include 98 English non-majored students who were taking the English speaking course in their second semester at a university. The semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 teachers and 15 students. The findings reveal that the group of affective factors is the prominent one, and then followed by automation, error correction and performance factors influencing their oral fluency. Therefore, some useful recommendations focusing on interactive strategies to minimize learners’ difficulties in oral fluency as well as develop their fluency in English speaking performance in this study could be taken into account for EFL teachers in English speaking classes.

scholarly journals English Pronunciation Standard Preferences among Students of Polish Universities — Self-reports

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 ◽  
pp. 251-271
Author(s):  
Anita Buczek-Zawiła
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Stated Preference ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
English Departments ◽  
Pronunciation Instruction ◽  
Research Survey ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
English Pronunciation ◽  
English As Lingua Franca

For many years now the debate as to the English pronunciation model to be selected for training both in academia and for schools in Poland has proved unresolvable. When pronunciation instruction is executed, anything that conspicuously departs from spelling pronunciation is accepted. It appears that teachers implicitly and largely unconsciously follow the idea of the somewhat impoverished instructional model of English as a Lingua Franca ELF put forward by Jenkins 2000. Until recently, no reasonable, well-argued-for alternative was available, whereas now the model suggested in Szpyra-Kozłowska 2015: Native English as Lingua Franca NELF fulfils the needs of both students in English departments as well as ordinary users of English. This paper reports on the preferences as to the desirable standard in pronunciation instruction among students in academia — but not among those of English language departments — as learners of English as a Foreign Language for whom language proficiency may be an important professional asset in their future careers. To investigate the above, a research survey of the quantitative-qualitative type was implemented in the form of a questionnaire. The focus is not so much on the numerical favourites as on the reasons behind a stated preference. The respondents seem to aspire to realistic but nonetheless high goals.

scholarly journals Improving Language Pedagogy through Exploration of Learners’ Errors: An Examination of Undergraduates’ Written Communication

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fizza Farrukh
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Electronic Mail ◽  
English Language ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Comparative Investigation ◽  
Target Language ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Students First

One major part of language learning pedagogy includes identifying and rectifying discrepancies while communicating through the target language. In such educational settings, the importance of understanding learners’ errors becomes undeniable for both the pupil and pedagogue. Keeping this in forefront, the current investigation sampled two-hundred and ten emails jotted down by ESL (‘English as a Second Language’) students to their teachers. This comparative investigation divided the learners’ emails into two groups; First Semester and Fourth Semester, enrolled in MA English at COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Virtual Campus, Islamabad. Utilizing Corder’s Model (1967) and Sawalmeh’s Categorization (2013), the emails were scrutinized and the results established that selected Pakistani learners commit nine different errors regularly in their electronic mail communiqué. Moreover, these outputs were comparatively studied utilizing the statistical software of SPSS (Version 16.0). These results highlighted a significant difference between the two semesters, which revealed a considerable reduction of errors in the learners’ language use as they move from first to fourth semester of the prescribed degree program. Additionally, Richards’ framework (1974) for deciphering source of learners’ errors was employed, which depicted that the first semester students’ first language (Urdu) frequently interferes when they use the second language (English) in writing emails. Meanwhile, the fourth semester students’ language errors majorly contained deviant structures or ignorance of target language’s (English) rules. Considering these findings, the study proposes similar studies to be conducted on other institutes’ pupils and also recommends practical methodologies like corrective feedback for teachers, in aiding learners to fortify their command on English language.

scholarly journals Investigating the Use of Instagram as a MALL Tool: The Case of Al-Imam University EFL Students

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Athar Yousef Abdullah Al-Garawi
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
English Language Learning ◽  
Listening Skills ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Immediate Feedback ◽  
First Semester ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Learning English

This study aimed to investigate the benefits and barriers of using Instagram in English language learning. The sample of this study consisted of 151 randomly-selected female students enrolled in the department of English at the College of Languages and Translation at Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in the academic year 1436/1437– 2015/2016 in the first semester. The researcher used both a five-point Likert scale questionnaire as a quantitative instrument and semi-structured interviews withstudents as a qualitative instrument to collect the data of the study. Those instruments were validated by ten university professors. Similarly, the reliability of the questionnaire was achieved by calculating Cronbach Alpha formula. The findings of the study revealed that the most important benefits of using Instagram in learning English were as follows: improving the reading, writing, and listening skills, providing enjoyable learning experiences, enriching vocabulary, improving oral communication skills, and enjoying a sense of freedom of time and place. Furthermore, the results of the study unveiled the following challenges of using Instagram in English learning: distracting attention, lack of direction from the syllabuses, lack of encouragement from instructors, embarrassment, lack of immediate feedback, the cost of Internet access, and the difficulty of writing long passages. Finally, the findings of the study presented the following solutions to Instagram barriers in English language learning: creating learning accounts and posting important things in the lecture, following only specialized accounts for learning English.

scholarly journals Attitudes and Challenges Towards Virtual Classes in Learning English Language Courses From Students' Perspectives at Taibah University During COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 419-428
Author(s):  
Mohammad Abd Alhafeez Ali Ta'amneh
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Learning System ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Virtual Classes ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Learning English

Educational institutions all over the world have shifted from conventional education to distance (online) learning system as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Identifying the advantages and disadvantages of online learning during the present pandemic can help the professors, educators, and educational experts in taking and adopting new appropriate decisions that match the students' needs in such difficult conditions. This study aimed at investigating the first year students’ attitudes towards virtual classes in learning English courses. It also aimed to identify the obstacles that encounter them while using this kind of learning. The sample of the study consisted of 336 students at Taibah University during the first semester of the academic year 2020/2021. A well-designed online questionnaire was used to collect data. Results revealed that students’ attitudes towards the use of the online learning were positive. Students considered this kind of learning as the best strategy during COVID-19 pandemic. The results also showed that the students faced some pedagogical, technical and personnel obstacles while attending virtual classes.

scholarly journals The Use of Smartphones in Learning English Language Skills: A Study of University Students’ Perspectives

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Mohammad Abd Alhafeez Ali Ta’amneh
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
University Students ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Academic Year ◽  
English Language Skills ◽  
Learning English

This study investigated students’ perspectives about the use of smartphones in learning English language skills. It discussed the benefits and difficulties of using smartphones in the process of learning. The sample consisted of one hundred and fifty-one students enrolled in the first semester of the academic year 2019/2020 in different English courses taught at Taibah University (Badr Branch). The researcher designed a questionnaire depending on the previous studies investigated the role of smartphones in the process of teaching and learning. The participants were asked to decide at which level they agreed with each statement. The researcher analyzed data through Statistical Package for Social Sciences by applying mean scores and standard deviations. The results according to the students’ answers were positive with moderate usage of their smartphones in their attempt to learn English. Moreover, the results showed that there were no difficulties faced by students during the process of learning through smartphones.

Management Response to Improve the Educational Performance of Engineering Students

2013 ◽  
pp. 91-110
Author(s):  
Bassam Hussein ◽  
Ali Hage-Diab ◽  
Mohammad Hammoud ◽  
Anwar Kawtharani ◽  
Hisham El-Hage ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Private University ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Hands On ◽  
One Year ◽  
The University

This case presents the managerial techniques applied to improve the quality of engineering education at the largest private university in Lebanon, the Lebanese International University (LIU). As the university grew rapidly since its inception 10 years ago, it faced serious challenges in fulfilling a key objective of its mission, which is to empower students to be culturally engaged to achieve innovative outcomes. A team was put together to identify cultural factors affecting quality of education, students’ achievement, assess their impact, and propose a plan of action. The findings led to a series of actions aimed at improving English language proficiency, smoothing high school/college transition, encouraging hands on laboratory experience, establishing industrial COOP program, and preparing for international accreditation. The new programs have been in effect for approximately one year. Quantitative evaluation of the programs is not yet fully available. Nevertheless, there are already some tangible indicators that suggest successful outcomes.

scholarly journals Why Is English Pronunciation Ignored by EFL Teachers in Their Classes?

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abbas Pourhosein Gilakjani ◽  
Narjes Banou Sabouri
Keyword(s):  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Educational Facilities ◽  
Pronunciation Instruction ◽  
Successful Communication ◽  
English Pronunciation ◽  
Teaching Programs ◽  
Teaching Pronunciation ◽  
Better Than

<p>Understandable pronunciation is an important part of communicative competence. Individuals who have acceptable pronunciation can easily improve their language skills better than those who have weak pronunciation. Thus, English pronunciation is very significant for successful communication. Despite the fact that English pronunciation is very important for oral communication and communicative competence, it is sometimes neglected in many language teaching programs. This study examined Iranian teachers’ views toward English pronunciation instruction. A quantitative method was used to gather data by an instrument. The researchers used a questionnaire as the instrument of this study. 100 teachers voluntarily participated in this study. Data were collected and analyzed. The findings of this paper indicated that lack of time, motivation, resources, materials, and educational facilities like computer technologies prevented teachers from teaching pronunciation and if teachers want to include pronunciation into their classes, they should be equipped with these factors that can increase their success in teaching English pronunciation.</p>

scholarly journals Motivation and Learning English: A Study on Nepalese Public High School Learners

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 99-116
Author(s):  
Suman Laudari
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Public High School ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
L2 Motivational Self System ◽  
Language Learning Motivation ◽  
Ideal L2 Self ◽  
Motivation And Learning ◽  
Learning English

Motivation is long found to be an important factor to affect the task of learning an L2 as it provides the stimulus required to initiate and sustain the task of learning the L2. It is even argued that if learners are motivated, they are likely to succeed in the task of language learning regardless of other factors. The present study examined the Nepalese public high school learners’ motivation to learn English. Based on Dörnyei’s (2005; 2009) second language (L2) motivational Self System as the theoretical framework, this study employed a 64 item questionnaire to collect the data. Correlation and regression were carried out to establish that the main factors affecting learners’ English language learning motivation were attitude to learning English and ideal L2 self. However, ought-to L2 self did not contribute to learners’ motivation directly, which is on the contrary to the findings of the study done in Asian contexts previously. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nelta.v19i1-2.12084 Journal of NELTA, Vol 19 No. 1-2, December 2014: 99-116

scholarly journals English Pronunciation Instruction: Views and Recommendations

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 1249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abbas Pourhossein Gilakjani
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Oral Communication ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Pronunciation Instruction ◽  
English Pronunciation ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Language Teaching Methods

Despite decades of advocacy for greater attention, research into pronunciation instruction in English language teaching continues to be restricted. This article provides a comprehensive review of some important issues of English pronunciation instruction. The purposes of this review are (a) to explain different views of pronunciation instruction, (b) to elaborate the role of pronunciation in language teaching methods, (c) to discuss native-like pronunciation, and (d) to mention some recommendations for the better teaching of English pronunciation. The review of the literature of this paper indicated that the objective of pronunciation instruction is not to gain native-like pronunciation and speak exactly like native speakers of English. Instead understandable pronunciation should be the ultimate aim of oral communication.

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